New business agency blog

It was interesting to read Gideon Spanier’s article in the Evening Standard last night.

The gist of it is that there is an increase in the number of smaller, more specialist breakaway PR agencies forming, coupled with the consolidation of some of the bigger firms. The good money is on these smaller specialist agencies taking business from larger PR firms, as more and more brands are starting to think they are over-paying their current mid-large size incumbents. Equally, the larger firms are all merging, thereby hoping to secure more global accounts from multinational brands.

What struck me most about the article is that we have been sending out mailers to agencies for several years with similar messages – certainly since the rumours about economic slowdown started circulating prior to the 2008 recession.

This practice of forming breakaway specialist agencies crosses many other marketing disciplines in times of recession, as the tide of accounts flowing between agencies doesn’t just stop – brands will always need to get their messages out there in one way or another.

If anyone reading this has formed a new agency and would like advice on how to maximise your potential to win new business, or similarly if you feel you are one of the agencies in danger of being left adrift then help is at hand, so give us a call.

I’m eagerly awaiting the opportunity to see Morgan Spurlock’s (of Supersize Me fame) latest film release – The Greatest Movie Ever Sold.

A documentary into the dark heart of product placement, advertising and marketing in films and TV shows would be right up my street as you’ll see from some of my recent blogs.

However, does the fact that the BBC can’t have any product placement (except for Tom’s curved nail file in The Apprentice and all their senior reporters wearing Berghaus jackets) mean that it will never be able to screen it or will the fact that it’s a documentary mean the rules don’t apply?

Also, with a film like this, I’d imagine the brands that funded it wouldn’t be too distressed about people using torrent sites to download it for nothing as viewers are going to see the product placement either way. Not sure that the studios would be too chuffed though.

So, my plan to solve the issue of piracy (that the film industry constantly claim has virtually reduced it to poverty) is to have ALL future films funded by brands via product placement and advertising on a pay per click basis. As these brands would be paying for the films, they will probably want to influence the script too, so they will need to employ entire departments of screenwriters and editors to make sure the viewers are getting the right message in the right circumstances at the right time. The viewer can download it for free and then the film studio gets a fee from the brands for each download– a bit like a sponsored link on Google.

Everyone’s a winner – as long as you never want to see anything that’s actually any good.

I was almost inconsolable to read that just six product placement deals have been signed since the advertising rules were relaxed 7 months ago.

My previous blog had predicted a world something akin to Total Recall where brands would tap into everyone’s psyche with incredibly clever positioning of their products at perfectly timed moments resulting in a new business avalanche for the brand owners.

Even my colleague Dan managed to write something about product placement in his recent blog – thus implying he must have at least some level of excitement about it – and we never usually get excited about the same type of things (from his blog you’ll see he said he likes chick flicks and rom-coms or something).

I so hate being wrong about the next big thing in marketing.

Then I got to thinking three things:

1. It’s early days yet. Maybe all the brands are waiting for someone else to make the first move, rather than be the guinea pig themselves.

2. Maybe there aren’t enough agencies with a product placement offer (would make sense, seeing as it wasn’t allowed on TV until recently) so brands aren’t really being encouraged into it.

3. Maybe there are enough agencies that offer it, but they aren’t doing enough to win new business.

So, to anyone in any position to influence the points above I would say this to you:

On point 1 – “he who dares Rodders, he who dares”

On point 2 – “oh look – here’s a relatively untapped sector to expand your offer into. I see a gap in the market”

And as for anyone who falls into point 3….

Well, don’t worry – we can help you out with that one.